The following was taken from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services website regarding executive action on immigration reform:

On November 20, 2014, President Obama announced a series of executive actions that, in part, will modernize, improve, and clarify immigrant and nonimmigrant visa programs to grow our economy and create jobs.

These immigration reform initiatives have not yet been implemented, and USCIS is not accepting any requests or applications at this time. Beware of anyone who offers to help you submit an application or a request for any of these actions before they are available. You could become a victim of an immigration scam. Visit the USICS Resources on Executive Actions page to get updates when new information is posted.

USCIS and other agencies and offices are responsible for implementing these initiatives as soon as possible. Some initiatives will be implemented over the next several months and some will take longer. Over the coming months, USCIS will produce detailed explanations, instructions, regulations and forms as necessary.

USICS will:

Work with the Department of State to develop a method to allocate immigrant visas to ensure that all immigrant visas authorized by Congress are issued to eligible individuals when there is sufficient demand for such visas.

Work with the Department of State to modify the Visa Bulletin system to more simply and reliably make determinations of visa availability.

Provide clarity on adjustment portability to remove unnecessary restrictions on natural career progression and general job mobility to provide relief to workers facing lengthy adjustment delays.

Clarify the standard by which a national interest waiver may be granted to foreign inventors, researchers and founders of start-up enterprises to benefit the U.S economy.

Authorize parole, on a case-by-case basis, to eligible inventors, researchers and founders of start-up enterprises who may not yet qualify for a national interest waiver, but who:

Have been awarded substantial U.S. investor financing; or

Otherwise hold the promise of innovation and job creation through the development of new technologies or the pursuit of cutting-edge research.

Finalize a rule to provide work authorization to the spouses of certain H-1B visa holders who are on the path to lawful permanent resident status.

Work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to develop regulations for notice and comment to expand and extend the use of optional practical training (OPT) for foreign students, consistent with existing law.

Provide clear, consolidated guidance on the meaning of “specialized knowledge” to bring greater clarity and integrity to the L-1B program, improve consistency in adjudications, and enhance companies’ confidence in the program.

USCIS is the official source of information about executive actions on immigration. Please visit and subscribe to their immigration action page for updates.